French for “assembling,” referring to art of BLENDING. In BORDEAUX assemblage describes the activity of
judging the wines made from different lots (which can come from different varieties, the same variety from different parts of the vineyard, or grapes picked at different times and therefore showing different levels of sugar) and determining which lots are suitable for a CHÂTEAU’S final wines. In some cases, the wine will go into the premium brand; in other cases, it’ll go into a SECOND LABEL or even be sold off in BULK. In a poor year, a château may decide not to produce any of its premium brand wines at all. In CHAMPAGNE, a similar process is employed (particularly with NON-VINTAGE champagnes) in order to achieve a “house style” that’s consistent from year to year. This requires reviewing batches of wines from different vineyards, grapes, and years to blend the appropriate CUVÉE.